b'MARVAC Postpones 55thDetroit RV&Camping ShowOfficialsan-nouncedinlateJanuary that, due torestrictions relatedto the ongoing pan-demic, the 55th An-nual Detroit RV &Camping Show hasbeen postponed toJellystone Garners Awards, Feb. 9-13, 2022. hadTheshow Eyes Canadian Expansion been scheduled totake place Feb. 10-Yogi Bears Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts Bay, Wis., as a single campground with fam- 14,accordingtowas recently named a top franchise for 2021 ily-friendly amenities such as a swimming pool theMichiganAs-by Franchise Business Review, and was hon- and miniature golf course. Today, the Cincin- sociation of RVs & A scene from a previous Detroit RV & Camping Show.ored by Entrepreneur Magazine. nati,Ohio-basedJellystoneParksystem C a m p g r o u n d sAnd Jellystone, riding a wave of record boasts more than 75 locations across the (MARVAC),whichsales, is targeting western Canada for growth, United States and Canada.hoststheeventattheSuburbanaccording to press releases from the organi- Jim Westover, vice president of product CollectionShowplace inNovi,zation. development and sales, said, Last year, Jelly- Mich.This is the fourth year in a row that the stone Park saw same-park sales explode, with However, due to the most recentJellystone Park brand has been selected for families experiencingand enjoyingcamp- restrictions issued by the Michiganthe Franchise Business Reviewhonor. It is the ing and glamping for the first time. All signs Department of Health and Humanmost recent honor in a string of accolades for pointtocontinuedgrowthinthecoming Services(MDHHS),indooreventsthe Jellystone Park franchise. In 2020, the years. the size and scope of the Detroit RVbrand was also lauded by Entrepreneur Mag- He added, The chains system sales were & Camping Show are prohibited. Theazine. up11%in2020,the13thstraightyearof 2020 Detroit RV & Camping Show at-This is the fifth consecutive year Jellystone growth. Family camping was already on the tracted about 25,000 people to see 17has been ranked among Entrepreneurs Fran- upswing throughout North America before the dealers displaying some 340 RVs, as Bill Sheffer Darren Ingchise 500 and Jellystone Park was ranked the COVID-19 pandemic started. well as 70 campgrounds, RV parks,top brand in its category four of those five Jellystone is known for providing guests aftermarket suppliers and other ex- Detroit RV & Camping Show remainsyears due to its consistent revenue growth, fi- with attractions, such as pools, water slides hibitors. scheduled from Sept. 29-Oct. 3atnancial stability, and brand power. and splashgrounds; activities including jump- Clearly, were adhering to the lat- itsmeeting,MARVACDirector 2020 was a challenging year for everyone, ing pillows, wagon rides and foam parties; fun- est executive order from the state as Darren Ing told WCM.but it was also a year of unusual opportunity, filled theme weekends, and interactions with well as our local county, MARVAC Its been said all too often, butsaidJasonFeifer, Entrepreneur editor-in- YogiBear-costumedcharacters.Guests Executive Director Bill Sheffer told theseindeedareunprecedentedchief. Franchises were able to be nimble and choose from a variety of accommodation op- Woodalls Campground Management times. For us, this will be the firstinnovative, serving the needs of franchisees tions including premium cabins, yurts, deluxe (WCM). Whiledisappointing,our time in 55 years that we havent hadand customers in ways that will resonate for RV sites and traditional tent campsites. primary concern is the health and a Detroit RV & Camping Show, Ingmany years to come. We believe that, when Westover said that the Calgary, Edmonton well-being of our members and show said. Like everyone else, we lookwe eventually look back on this time, well see and Vancouver areas are well suited to the attendees. forwardtoareturntonormalcyit as a moment when many brands defined concept. Were looking for operators to con- The associations board of direc-themselves for the future. vertexistingcampgroundsorbuildnew tors confirmed the decision to post- when events like RV shows can takeThe franchise was founded in Sturgeon ones, he said. WCM ponethewintershowthefall place again.Rick Kessler WCMRVIA Says 2020 RV WholesaleShipments 3rd Best in HistoryThe RV Industry Associations(RVIA)December 2020 survey of manufacturersfound that total RV shipments finishedthe month with 40,382 units, an increaseof 46.8% from the 27,516 units shippedin December 2019, representing the bestDecember on comparable record.TowableRVs,ledbyconventionaltravel trailers, totaled 36,504 units for themonth, an increase of 48.1% comparedto last Decembers total of 24,649 units.Motorhomes finished the month with3,878 units, up 35.3% compared to theDecember 2019 total of 2,867 units.RV shipments finished the year with430,412 units, up 6.0% against 2019, onpar with the third-best annual shipmenttotal on record.The COVID-19 pandemic has strucka body blow to our nation in so manyways, but the RV industry has managedto provide a glimmer of hope by allowingpeopletoenjoyanactiveoutdoorlifestyle while also controlling their envi-ronment, said RV Industry AssociationPresident Craig Kirby.ParkmodelRVsfinishedthemonthdown (-6.9%) compared to last Decemberwith 268 wholesale shipments. Park modelRVs ended the year down (-11.9%) against2019 with 3,711 shipments. WCM4 -March 2021 Woodalls Campground Management'